The Lurie Effect
by butterflied4life
Summary: The title says it all. Lurie decides to take a hand in meddle in the lives of our two favorite CSIs. WARNING. Violence, both domestic and otherwise. GSR.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: The Lurie Effect, Part 1

**Author**: butterflied4life

**Rating**: High teen

**Pairing**: Grissom/Sara

**Spoilers**: Just for Butterflied, from Season 4

**Summary**: The title says it all. WARNING!!! This story contains violence, both domestic and otherwise.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CSI in any way, shape, or form. Wish I did.

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**A/N**: Thanks to my beta, Keegan, who is so wonderful and supportive. Without her this story wouldn't have been possible.

**A/N: **This story was inspired by the episode "Grissom versus the Volcano" from Season 4, when shots ring out and Grissom immediately puts Catherine between himself and a vehicle in order to shield her. I imagined what might have happened if that had been Sara instead of Catherine, and voila! This story was born.

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"I couldn't do it…I couldn't do it…I couldn't do it."

Grissom's words to Dr. Lurie play over and over again in Sara's mind as they drive to a crime scene the day after the Debbie Marlin case. Sara is silent, lost in her thoughts; Grissom is also lost in his thoughts, though his are of a very different nature than Sara's.

Eventually, he tries to break the silence. "Sara, I—"

"I get it, Grissom."

"Excuse me?"

"I heard your conversation with Lurie. I was in the observation room while you interviewed him."

Grissom sighs, exasperated. "Sara, you know the methods we use to get a confession."

"You _meant _what you said. That's why my resignation is on your desk. A plant isn't going to get me to stay this time."

"Would a flower be better?" Grissom queries sarcastically, trying to hide his panic.

"This isn't funny."

"I know, and I'm sorry." He sighs again heavily. "Sara, I honestly don't know what to do about us."

"You're assuming there is an 'us'."

"I am trying to . . . resolve the situation."

"There won't be a situation after tomorrow. I'm flying back to San Francisco."

Grissom decides to switch tactics. "I'm sorry I don't know how to act around you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Could you at least attempt to work with me?"

"Fine. When I'm around you, I can hardly think or breathe, and I have this insatiable need to impress you."

Grissom ponders this a moment as he turns the Tahoe into an alleyway. He parks in front of the specified address and turns to look at Sara. "Exactly. I've never felt that way before. I don't know what to do about it."

Sara unbuckles her seatbelt and glances at him. "Try telling me."

They exit the vehicle, retrieve their kits from the trunk, and stand together at the front of the Tahoe, looking for anything that remotely resembles a crime scene.

"Isn't this—"

"Yes." Grissom cuts her off, his brain furiously working to try and figure things out.

Sara spots something on a nearby wall and goes to look at it. Someone had written in red paint:

I TOLD YOU TO EXPECT SOMETHING MS. SIDLE

Sara pales, thinking back to when she had first heard those words.

_*****__Flashback__*****_

Sara hurries out of the Crime Lab toward her car, pressing the clicker incessantly. Reaching the car, she stops with one hand on the handle of the door, the other pressed against the roof of the car, and tries to stop her racing heart. _Debbie Marlin. Damn the whole case! How could Grissom have the gall to say that? How could he? I have spent seven years of my life waiting on his beck-and-call, and he can't even make the smallest sacrifice for me? _

A voice causes her to glance up unexpectedly over the top of her car and to the speaker. "There is something between you and Dr. Grissom, is there not?" There stands Dr. Lurie, preparing to enter his own car, which was parked beside hers.

Sara, completely aware she had just been damning the man, decides there is no harm in replying to his question, as a recompense of sorts. "There is absolutely nothing between Dr. Grissom and me."

"Exactly. That was the something." Lurie opens his door, climbs in, and starts his vehicle. Reaching for the door to pull it close, he stops, and adds, "You may expect something to change soon," before shutting the door and driving away.

_*End of flashback*_

"Shit," Sara says, under her breath.

"Do you know what this is supposed to mean?"

"Umm, yeah. As a matter of fact, we need to go. Right now. I have no idea what'll happen." She grabs his arm and starts to pull him towards the Tahoe. However, before she even takes one step with him, the sound of gunshots rains down on them.

Before Sara can react, Grissom shoves her backwards into the nearest somewhat-safe place, an alcove doorway. She ends up pinned between Grissom and the door, Grissom's face just a few inches from hers. His hands are still on her shoulders, and his torso presses hers back into the unrelenting wood. Her heart beats frantically as she tries to look anywhere but at him. All concern regarding the gunshots has changed, and her mind is now occupied worrying about the man pressing her into a door. _Man, you are _stupid_, Sidle. I didn't think you were that far gone. You guys are possibly getting shot at, and all you can think about is the smell of his aftershave. Hmm . . . minty. I didn't notice that scar on the side of his neck before. And his hands are so _big_ . . . GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF_. Sara turns her face to the side to recollect herself—and to stop calculating how many centimeters away his lips are from hers. She did major in physics in college, after all.

The little voice inside Sara's head wakes her up long enough to notice the gunshots have stopped. Grissom has apparently noticed this too, since he opens his eyes (which Sara hadn't noticed were closed) and tentatively leans his head back in an attempt to see something. Obviously what he sees is not good because he jerks his head forward and sharply draws in his breath.

"Five men, dressed in black with ski masks. Every one has a gun. They're just kind of casually walking down the alley. Are you carrying?"

"Shit. Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah. Can you reach it?"

"I'll try." Grissom starts sliding his hands over to her shoulders, then down her arms, trying to make as little other movement as possible. Sara's arms goose-bump from the contact, and Grissom glances from his hands on her arms (which he had been studying meticulously) to Sara's face. She in turn blushes and looks down at his shirt. After gently gliding over her hips, Grissom's hands finally complete their journey and he carefully withdraws Sara's gun from its holster. He pushes the safety button over to the 'ready to fire' position and brings his hands up in front of his chest. He starts slowly shifting backwards.

Sara suddenly realizes he is about to face five armed men alone, with only a small pistol to defend himself. Her hand darts out to grab his arm before she can stop herself. His eyes lock on her, and she starts to lose herself in fathoms of ocean-blue orbs. "Be careful," she breathes. He makes the tiniest nod of affirmation and starts moving backwards again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: The Lurie Effect, Part 2

**Author**: butterflied4life

**Rating**: High teen

**Pairing**: Grissom/Sara

**Spoilers**: Just for Butterflied, from Season 4

**Summary**: The title says it all. WARNING!!!!!! This story contains violence, both domestic and otherwise. THIS IS the chapter with all the violence in it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CSI in any way, shape, or form. Wish I did.

**

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**

A/N:

A huge thank you goes out to my wonderful beta, Keegan, who was awesome enough to say she was glad she was beta because of this story. I truly appreciate all her help and insight.

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Grissom starts moving slowly backwards. He can see that the five men are about a hundred feet away and heading towards where he and Sara are hiding. Clenching his jaw, he steps completely out of the doorway and faces them squarely, pointing his gun at them. The men continue walking, seemingly unaffected by having a gun pointed at them, until they are only a few feet away.

On of them, the apparent lead of the group, takes a step forward. "Hey, man. How 'bout you put the gun down." The man's voice is irritated, like this should have been obvious.

"I don't think that would be wise, considering my current situation," Grissom returns, struggling to keep the calm in his voice.

This apparently pisses the man off.

"Look dude, this ain't no time for your mouth. Just put the gun down, or I'm gonna tell 'em to shoot." The man, whom Grissom has started mentally referring to as Leader, uses his gun to gesture back to his gang.

Grissom thinks about this a moment. If he puts the gun down, then he and Sara no longer have any viable way of defending themselves. _Not good. _But if he doesn't put the gun down, he isn't much use to Sara dead._ Also not good._ He lays the gun on the ground carefully. At the same time he slowly starts backing up towards the doorway where Sara is hidden.

"Stop right there," Leader says. "And tell your lady friend to get out here too. She's not gonna miss out on the fun."

Before Grissom can react and tell Sara to stay right where she is, she steps out of the alcove and comes to stand at Grissom's left shoulder. "We'll do what you want," she says, trying to buy time.

Leader smiles and gestures to his gang. Two of the men step forward and grab Sara, each holding an arm. They push her forward in front of their leader. Grissom tries to stop them, but the other two grab his arms.

"Now, I don't want no unnecessary pain here. We're here to do our job and that's it." Leader steps toward Sara and, before she can react, swiftly swings his arm out and punches the right side of her face. A small cry escapes her throat as her head jerks from the impact. She starts to turn to face him again, but is caught off guard when he punches her a second time on the other cheek.

Grissom is nearly out of his mind with rage. He struggles wildly against the two men holding him, but he can do nothing. He is forced to stand and watch as a gang beats the woman he realizes he loves.

After the second punch, Sara hadn't pulled her face back up. She lets her head hang, hair falling forward to curtain her face. Leader uses this opportunity to punch her in the gut. The impact knocks the breath from her, and she falls to her knees, trying to drag air into her lungs. The two men who had been holding her arms release them and let her fall.

Sara begins to stand back up and face her assailant, but memories cloud her mind and overpower her. She sees her mother fighting back against her father, trying desperately to stop the abuse. In her mind, she is watching as again and again her mother is punched, slapped, and knocked to the ground. Then she sees it, the knife that tore apart her life and destroyed her family. And that's the moment she stops struggling, dropping to the ground on her side and letting the pain win out.

Grissom can't figure out what is going on. It had looked as if the Sara he knew had been jerked out of her body and replaced with someone submissive. He struggles with renewed strength, desperate to help her, but the two men holding his arms are impossible to fight against. They stand like two rocks, their hands chaining him to a mountain.

The fact that Sara has dropped does not seem to affect Leader. He simply starts kicking her, allowing the blows to land wherever they may. Sara curls into a ball instinctively, protecting her face and stomach but still makes no effort to fight back. She doesn't make any sound of pain, only a slight unintentional 'oomph' whenever the wind is knocked out of her.

After a few minutes, the sound of sirens becomes audible. Leader stops kicking Sara and yells to the others. The two men holding Grissom release him and the gang runs back down the alley the way they had come earlier. The sirens have nothing to do with them, but they're not taking chances.

Grissom runs to Sara, who still hasn't moved since she fell. "Sara, Sara, please talk to me. Say something," he pleads, but she remains silent. He lifts her shoulders and holds them with one arm while he uses the other to skim her body, searching for serious injuries. Her face has become swollen, and in some places the bruises are already partly formed.

When he uses his hand to brush the hair from her face, Sara's eyes open slightly. "Griss?" she whispers feebly.

Grissom is nearly overcome with joy. "Yes, Sara, I'm right here. Keep your eyes open, okay?"

"Hurts," she slurs back.

"Where?"

She uses her eyes to indicate her abdomen. He takes his vest off and places it on the ground, then lays her down, using his vest to pillow her head. He scrambles to find the zipper on her vest, jerking it down and starting on the buttons of her blouse. After the second button he decides that it's taking too long and simply grasps both sides of the shirt and pulls, effectively popping the buttons off.

He immediately understands why her chest and stomach hurt: large bruises have formed all over her abdomen, clearly marking where the man kicked her. Grissom gently prods them with his fingers, trying to determine the degree of harm done. He decides a few of her ribs are broken. Then he notices that Sara didn't even flinch when he pressed her bruises. His eyes immediately flick up to her face, but her eyes have closed again. Panicking, he tries to get her to open her eyes again, but this time he can't wake her up.

Grissom runs to the Tahoe and calls for help.

**A/N 2: **First of all, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and support for the last chapter. I was so surprised how eager you all were for the next installment! It definitely speeded up the process. So . . . lots of reviews = faster updates. Please, keep them coming!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: The Lurie Effect, Part 3

**Author**: butterflied4life

**Rating**: High teen

**Pairing**: Grissom/Sara

**Spoilers**: Just for Butterflied, from Season 4

**Summary**: The title says it all. WARNING!!! This story contains violence, both domestic and otherwise.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CSI in any way, shape, or form. Wish I did.

**

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**

A/N:

This story was made possible by my wonderful, fabulous, amazing beta. I truly appreciate all that she does._

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_

Three Weeks Later

Sara is curled up on the couch reading a magazine, _The Applied Psychodynamics of Forensic Science_, which a friend had once 'recommended.'

In her mind, she starts thinking of everything that had happened in those three weeks.

Since the incident in the alley she still hasn't been allowed to return to work, and the gang members responsible had been caught after another victim identified them. When the CSIs examined the gang members' cell phones, they discovered multiple messages, from their various employers, had been left on them. Going off the messages they'd been able to arrest Lurie. The court date hadn't been set, but she and Grissom were looking forward to testifying against the killer.

For the most part, the beating had not done serious harm. She'd suffered two cracked ribs and a sore jaw, but the ribs were nearly healed and her jaw no longer gave her much trouble. The bruises were now a pale, sickly yellow. Psychologically, she had at first struggled with what happened to her. The psychiatrist had helped though, and she was still seeing her 'shrink doc', as she liked to call him.

Sara hasn't forgotten her decision to leave and she hasn't changed her mind either. She did decide, however, that she would go back to work for a short time, a month maybe, so have time to say goodbye to everyone. They never left her side in the hospital, and she was not about to repay their loyalty and kindness by leaving them with hardly a minute's notice.

A knock on the door brings her back to the present. She already knows that it will be Grissom. As for him, she hasn't decided anything beyond the fact that she's leaving, primarily because of him, and will probably (hopefully, during the times she's really hurting) never see him again.

She gets up to open the door, then turns and heads for the table without really looking at him. Since she left the hospital, he has been by every morning with breakfast, seeing it as a sort of apology for 'allowing' the men to beat her up. _Like I need someone to protect me_ she thinks bitterly. Bitter pretty much describes how she's been feeling towards him lately, for whatever reason.

They eat the bagels in silence, Grissom content just to be with Sara and know she's safe, and Sara markedly avoiding any and all conversation. He finishes and folds his napkin neatly in a square, trapping the crumbs inside. He turns the square in his fingers for a few minutes, and then looks up at Sara.

"Sara, I want to ask you something. I've been meaning to ask you since . . . for a while. Actually, for a really long while." He takes a deep breath. "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

Sara stares at him. She opens her mouth to say something and closes it, her head slowly shaking from side to side. "No, no, no!" She can't think of anything else to say. She has waited for this moment for _years_, begged for it, prayed for it, cried for it. And now she has no choice but to refuse. She knows she might be ripping his heart out, but there is no other option. This _is _the only way.

She pushes her chair back and stands up. "I can't," she manages in explanation. "Don't you . . . see? This is what Lurie wanted. This is what he planned. He knew that if something happened to me you would forget about everything else. That you wouldn't care about anything else. He _manipulated _the whole situation. I'm not going to play into his hands."

Now Grissom is the one staring. He's never thought of it that way, but it doesn't matter anyway. He loves her and wants to make her happy. _That _is all that matters.

"Sara, I don't care about Lurie. I don't care about what he planned." He also pushes his chair back and stands up. With each sentence, he steps closer to Sara and she backs up a step. "This is about you and me. Do you know what it's like to stand there and watch someone you love be punched in the face and _there's not a damn thing you can do about it?_"He is starting to feel a little warm, and he's sure his face is flushed. "Do you know what that's like?" he repeats.

Actually, Sara has a very good idea of what it's like. In fact, she had experienced it on multiple occasions. Instead of saying this, she just stands there staring at him, astonished by his vehemence.

"I didn't think so. So I'll tell you what it feels like. You stand there watching and your mind is screaming at you to do something. Every blow hits your heart a thousand times harder than it hits their face. It hurts so bad you can't _stand _it. And added to all that is the possibility that they'll never know how much you _love _them, because you never once showed it. They're going to die thinking you hated them. _That's _how it feels. So don't stand there and tell me that you're going to let a murderer stand in the way of your happiness . . . my happiness. Just-don't. " Now that he had expressed himself, he feels a little bit ashamed. But he still isn't going to back down. He has issued the challenge. Now she has to decide whether to accept it or not.

She stands, looking at him for a couple seconds. Then she starts to speak. "I'm sorry that happened, but I still can't—"

He cuts her off. "Sara, do you love me?"

She tries to hide her surprise at the abruptness of the question. Once she recovers, she finds her resolve hasn't wavered. "No," she says, knowing she's speaking a lie since she can't even bring herself to look at him but can find no other way to defend her position. "No, I don't. How can I—"

"Then I can't do this." He places his hands on both sides of her face, pushes her against the wall, and kisses her hard.

Sara's only reaction is to let out an involuntary moan of pleasure. Her knees start to slump, and he slips an arm around her waist to hold her up, releasing her mouth at the same time. He watches her for a moment as she leans against the wall, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, chest heaving.

"Now don't tell me you don't feel anything for me, because I have never had someone respond that way when I kissed them. And you definitely weren't in pain."

She doesn't respond or make any sign that she heard him. She slowly bends her knees so that she slides down the wall into a sitting position. He sits on the floor also.

"I hate you," she finally whispers, keeping her eyes closed.

For some reason this doesn't surprise Grissom. He simply asks, "Why?"

She waits a few moments, considering, before answering. "Because," her lower lip trembles slightly, "because you make me love you."

Grissom almost—almost—laughs. Then he suddenly realizes the internal conflict she must feel, and he wants to completely erase the last three years. He is about to reply, to apologize, when she continues.

"I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that you only love me because of what happened, and if it had never happened you wouldn't love me now."

"No! No, that's not how it happened. Sara, I have loved you since I saw you walk into my classroom wearing a Harvard t-shirt, hip-huggers, and flip-flops; since you moved here just because I asked you to; since you asked me to sleep with you because you were haunted by Kaye Shelton's ghost; since you sat up all night with a dead pig and then couldn't eat meat; since you dated that jerk and got burned; since you cut your hand in the lab explosion and then wanted to clean up the mess; since you asked me to go out with you and I couldn't because I _was_ too scared. Every time I'm with you I fall in love with you. So Sara, honey, please, please, don't think that ever. I love you."

During some point of his speech, Sara slowly opened her eyes and is now looking at him with adoration shining in her eyes. Or maybe that is the unshed tears. Either way, she smiles her famous Sidle smile at him. "Really?" she asks.

"Really," he replies. "All I want to do is prove it to you."

She doesn't reply. Instead, she scoots over to him and lays her head on his shoulder while he wraps his arms around her. After a few minutes, they both stand and move to the couch. Sara once more lays her head on his chest and he encompasses her in his arms. Every so often, she shudders in happiness, and he squeezes her tighter and suddenly nothing else seems to matter. Not the years of pain and loneliness, not the gang, and definitely not Lurie.

All that matters is the two of them, right here, holding onto and loving each other and learning how to accept love in return.

FIN

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**A/N 2: **There are a grand total of three references in this chapter. Kudos to anyone who recognized them all. First reference is to the episode "Unfriendly Skies" from Season 1. If you catch this one, would you tell me? I'd just like to see how noticeable it was. Second reference is to the movie 'Becoming Jane', from which I stole the 'Do you love me then I shouldn't do this' kissing scene. It was so freaking romantic I couldn't help myself. Third reference is to Miley Cyrus and the song "Seven Things".

**A/N 3: **Reviews = love.


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